Support of Hitler due to Unpopularity of the Weimar Governments
After the 1929 Wall StreetCrash, the Weimar Republic was faced with a
series of challenges which they failed to solve, resulting in their
unpopularity. However, Hitler's support grew during the years after
the Crash between 1929 and 1933 when he was ordained Chancellor.
The crash of the American stock market in 1929 resulted in
international economical depression. Germany was hit especially hard
as the American businessmen who had loaned German banks money under
the Dawes plan in 1924 now wanted it back as they were now in debt
themselves.
For the Weimar Government, this caused great problems. It caused
inflation, and the bankruptcy of many businesses who had borrowed
money from the banks and Americans. Consequently, businesses laid off
workers, resulting in huge unemployment which made the Weimar
government extremely unpopular, made worse by Chancellor Brüning
cutting welfare benefits in 1930 to counter the depression. This made
the situation catastrophic for the unemployed, who would do anything
to get back to work. These problems may have been solvable, but the
German industry had also suffered greatly as there were less people
working to produce. This meant there was less money made in tax for
the government to use to improve the situation.
The Treaty of Versailles further decreased the government's
desperately needed funds as the British, French and Belgians were now
even more in want of reparations to help their own struggling
economies - by 1932 worldwide industrial production was 38% less than
in 1929. Accepting the Treaty had meant a huge loss of prid...
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...o gave growing support as the situation worsened as the Nazis
gave them scapegoats, for examples the Jews and communists for the
country's problems - making the Germans feel it is not their country
that is bad, and that by actively following Nazi policies, they could
make Germany great again by ridding it of the scapegoats the Nazis
dictated, including their political rivals.
In conclusion, it was a series of linked factors that gave Hitler
growing support. The Depression sparked off problems, which the Weimar
constitution and Treaty of Versailles prevented the government from
using methods to effectively tackle. Whereas, Hitler used any methods
to appeal to many different groups by promising a strong Germany once
again - something the Weimar government was not doing, and the main
reason for Hitler's growing support.
Exploring the Reasons Behind Public's Discontent with the Weimar Government There were a number of reasons why the German people were unhappy with the Weimar government. One of the main reasons for this was the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The result of this was that Germany has to take the war guilt, Germany had to pay reparations of 6,600 million marks to the allies in particular France, Germany lost its colonies, it lost its air force & tanks, and its soldiers were restricted to 100,000. The Ruhr was demilitarised. Also they lost their colonies and its land was cut up such as the Polish Corridor and Alsace Lorraine.
way to go. Really, the parties had no choice as to whether or not they
YEAR 10 HISTORY ESSAY: GERMANY’S FATAL ATTRACTION TO HITLER Adolf Hitler, easily one of the most influential people to have ever walked on the Earth. His rise to power also one of the most oppurtunistic seized to date. How did he achieve such a powerful control over Germany and its people? Through what you could call a series of unfortunate events.
The period after World War One was very politically unstable. Many different kinds of governments, such as fascism and communism, were coming up all over Europe. One country that especially faced this political fluctuation was Germany. After the war, Germany was forced into a democracy known as the Weimar Republic, but this government soon collapsed and Hitler’s fascism took over. There were various factors that contributed to the fall of the Weimar Republic, but three major ones were the lack of popular support for the government, the lack of efficiency and internal organization, and the competition of other, more conservative parties such as the Nazis.
The Failure of Democracy in Germany in the Period 1928 to 1934 Those in power in Weimar Germany so consistently mishandled the political and economic situation leading up to the period 1928-1934, that a well-structured challenge from the Nazi Party brought about the fall of democracy. This Nazi Party was stronger ideologically, structurally within the party and politically, with Hitler as Fuhrer a major factor himself. In addition, factions within Germany for whom a right-wing political system was more beneficial, such as the army and big business, aided the eventual change in governance. Thus a series of events occurred which can be summarised by these three main factors: failure of the Weimar Government, strength of the Nazi Party and finally the political finesse of Hitler himself in the total abolition of democracy in Germany in 1934. The Weimar democracy was weak in three key areas, which led to the failure of this democracy.
The Left and Right at the Birth of Weimar Germany From the general chaos and unrest that followed the Kiel Mutiny in late 1918, the centre-left emerged to lead Germany into a new era of democracy. Philipp Scheidemann, a key figure in the moderate SDP, declared a Democratic Socialist Republic from a balcony in Berlin on 9th November 1918. However, the whole of Germany was not behind him, since simultaneously, and from a different Berlin balcony, Karl Liebknecht, leader of the communist Spartacists (KPD), declared a Soviet Republic.
Explaining Hitler's Popularity Adolf Hitler was a popular leader, adored and worshipped by the Germans. After the defeat of the World War II Germany was in a difficult political and economical position. Under the Versailles Treaty, Germany had to disarm, give up land and pay heavy reparations. The devastated country suffered from widespread unemployment, runaway inflation, and low national morale.
The Weakness of the Weimar Republic and Hitler's Rise to Power The question directly relates to the idea that the political power of a country can be taken over by ambitious people in different ways. From our knowledge we know there is three ways this can be done…by take over by force, also known as a 'coup d'etat', in a more democratic and just way or by a political deal. In the 1920's and the 1930's Hitler led a right wing political party and was seen by many as a dictator. He wanted to overthrow and control the German government and he tried all three of these ways in an attempt to do so, some methods were more successful than others.
2. What were weaknesses of the Weimar Republic? How did different political groups seek to remedy these weaknesses?
“On 2 August 1934, President Hindenburg died. Within an hour of his death Hitler announced that the offices of chancellor and president were to be combined and that he was the new head of state. Hitler’s adolescent dream of becoming Fuhrer of the German people had been realized” President Hindenburg’s death marked the official end of the Weimar Republic, a democratic ‘experiment’ that had lasted since 1918. The causes of the dissolution of the Republic are wide ranging and numerous, as was explained in the articles of both Richard Bessel, and John McKenzie. The two author’s agree on the sequence of events which led to the dissolution of the Republic, however, they disagree on what exactly caused the transition from Weimar to the Third Reich. The author’s disagreement stem from a differing view of the fundamental cause, political structure versus political leadership.
The first of which is the drive for a single race Germany. Most of the
The Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic was created in Germany in 1918 as a result of widespread socialist unrest. A liberal constitution was drawn up in 1919. There was extensive instability in Germany around this time. The Weimar government had trouble pleasing right and left wing parties because, at this time, Germany was very polarised politically. Hitler dissolved the republic in 1933.
Factors Leading to the Support of the Nazi Party In the elections of May 1928 the N.S.D.A.P. polled only 2.6% and yet by September 1930 the N.S.D.A.P. became the second largest party in the Reichstag. Explain how the Nazi Party achieved this electoral breakthrough. There are a number of important issues which demonstrate the reasons why the Nazi Party gained support and eventual power. Hitler Joined forces with the D.N.V.P. in hope of becoming more popular in a time when Germany was at its most vunerable.
Hitler's Domestic Policies and Their Popularity. Hitler's domestic policies enjoyed differing levels of support. Policies such as the economy and anti-semitism may have been popular. and increased Nazi support. Alternatively, they may have been unpopular.
The Extent to Which the Weimar Republic Recovered after 1923 In the period after 1923, under Gustav Stresemann, Germany was able to stand back on its feet and overcome many of its difficulties. Weimar Republic was created in 1919 to govern a defeated Germany after World War One. Germany was facing many social, political and economical problems while the new constitution laid open for the seizure of power. There were many rebellions and attempted revolutions making the country very unstable. Situations were made worse by the harsh terms of Treaty of Versailles, causing hyperinflation and a huge amount of national debt.